Georgia, Notre Dame losses turn playoff picture upside down

This past weekend we saw two of the top four teams go down and that changed the whole outlook for the College Football Playoff. No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame both lost on the road. Notre Dame’s loss to Miami (Fla.) was particularly tough because they aren’t in a conference; there is now no way the Irish can get to the Playoff. In fact, if they lose to Stanford in the season finale they could lose out on a spot in a top bowl game.

Georgia, on the other hand, still has a second chance. A win over Kentucky this week guarantees the Bulldogs a spot in the SEC Championship Game. Right now that looks like it will be against Alabama, but that is not a guarantee either. Alabama must play at Auburn on Nov. 25. The way Auburn handled Georgia, it’s no lock that Alabama wins the SEC West. Regardless of who Georgia plays, if they win the SEC Championship they will be in the Playoff.

The Notre Dame and Georgia losses helped two conferences. A week ago both the Big Ten and the Big 12 looked like they could well be on the outside looking in come Playoff time. That’s now changed. For the Big Ten to get in, Wisconsin has to stay undefeated and win the Big Ten outright. If they play Ohio State in the Championship Game and lose then the Big Ten could still be out. I don’t think a two loss Ohio State will be ranked high enough to get in.

Oklahoma’s big win over TCU put them and the Big 12 back on the Playoff map. The Big 12 has no conference championship game so all Oklahoma has to do is win at Kansas this week and then best West Virginia at home on Nov. 25. That would put the Sooners at 11-1 with wins over some solid teams. That should be good enough to get in.

In the ACC, the teams that play in the Championship game has already been decided, with Miami playing Clemson. Assuming both teams win their final games (and they should) then the ACC champion will be a Playoff team. Both teams have two games remaining. Miami plays Virginia at home this week and then they travel to Pitt. Clemson is at home against the Citadel this week and then travels to South Carolina for the finale.

As of now it looks like the Pac-12 will not get in the Playoff. They just don’t have a strong enough team that can overcome the teams ranked above them in the current standings. The top teams in the Pac-12 are USC and Washington State and each of those teams already have two losses. As for the non-Power-5 schools, the only team with even a slight chance would be Central Florida and their strength of schedule and ranking won’t be strong enough to get them in.

With this week being basically the semifinal weekend of the regular college football season there aren’t really any top games between ranked opponents. Most of the SEC play patsies as they get ready for rivalry weekend over Thanksgiving. In the Big Ten, the one real tough game has Michigan traveling to Wisconsin. The Badgers need to win this game to stay in contention for the Playoff.

Most of Wisconsin’s top players are underclassmen but there are a few seniors to take a look at. On offense, tight end Troy Fumagalli is a solid blocking tight end. On defense, linebacker Leon Jacobs will either be an edge or a Sam linebacker at the next level. He has 3.5 sacks on the year. Alec James plays defensive end and looks to be a 4-3 left end at the next level; he may be able to grow into a 5-technique. Safety Natrell Jamerson isn’t a real big guy by NFL standards, but he is tough and makes plays. The same can be said about corner Derrick Tindal.